Curwen Primary School is committed to inclusive education, supporting and promoting the development of the whole child with a learning journey that leads every child to be the best they can be, from all starting points, and ready for the next phase in their education. We want all children at Curwen to SHINE and in order to ensure progress, they work in a vibrant, inclusive and welcoming atmosphere. 

Provision at Curwen is tailored to meet the individual needs of the child with a ‘stage not age’ approach, making use of specially adapted classrooms as well as working alongside their mainstream peers, benefiting from a wide variety of learning styles and stimulating resources which are appropriate to their level of progress.

The needs of SEND children are regularly monitored both by trained school staff and external specialists, and provisions are adapted and personalised as appropriate to individual needs.

The vast majority of our SEND children work within a mainstream class alongside their peers, and teachers use a range of strategies to ensure they are able to access the curriculum. Personalisation is made through targeted interventions such as Speech and Language groups, dyslexia programmes, therapeutic support and Occupational Therapy (OT) sessions.

In order to meet the needs of our children with SEND who are not ready to access the mainstream curriculum, we have developed three pathways. Every child's individual learning needs are carefully considered to ensure they are on the correct pathway, and we have a transition plan in place which enables children to return to learning alongside their peers, once appropriate for them.

Sycamore group is for children who have moderate learning needs including a combination of sensory and/ or communication difficulties. Children work on the core subjects of Maths and English and are working at a level significantly below their peers in the mainstream classroom.

Oak group is for children who have complex needs related to language, communication and interaction as well as sensory difficulties, following a semi-formal curriculum.

Chestnut group is for children who have learning needs including a combination of sensory and/ or communication difficulties. Children follow the Early Years curriculum which is based around their individual needs.

Sycamore Group:

Children receive teaching and support that is appropriate to their needs from highly qualified, trained and experienced teachers and support staff. This ensures individual progress in key areas such as communication, cognition and knowledge, physical and self-help skills.

Sycamore group is a provision for children with SEND that are unable to access mainstream Maths and/or English curriculum due to working at a level significantly below their peers. As a result, a curriculum is tailored to meet the individual needs of the children. Many of the children in the group either  have a diagnosis, or are in the process of gaining one, which consists of ASD, DLD (Developmental Language Disorder), moderate learning difficulties, dyslexia and SEMH.

English is taught through the use of RML (the school’s phonic-based scheme) and Literacy and Language which follows on from this. Children take part in a range of activities that are purposeful and practical. Work is appropriately differentiated within the provision with the support of the SENDCo and other specialist teachers. Children also learn through educational visits and extracurricular activities such as swimming and Forest Schools.

The teaching of Maths is based on the CPA approach (Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract) and follows a similar sequencing of learning to our Curwen Maths Curriculum. Children take part in a range of activities to develop their skills in problem solving and reasoning which is aimed to prepare the children for the world beyond school. 

Through personalised learning and small group teaching we aim to swiftly close gaps in attainment and children are regularly assessed and moved back into class with their peers as soon as they are able to.

During the afternoon sessions, children complete relevant intervention sessions to meet their needs and follow our school’s Foundation Curriculum alongside their peers. This is differentiated by class teachers to ensure it is at a suitable level. All children have access to a broad and balanced curriculum.

Oak Group: 

Oak group is for children with social communication, behavioural and learning needs who may or may not have a formal diagnosis.

Children are learning at a pre-key stage 1 level. They take part in English, fine motor, Maths and Zones of Regulation lessons throughout the week which is closely aligned with our Curwen Early Years Curriculum.

Literacy lessons are delivered through early phonics which uses principles and resources from RML in-line with our Reception and Nursery. Fine motor needs are supported through weekly fine motor work including sensory activities. Children also have weekly Sensory Story sessions.

To support emotional literacy, the children take part in weekly Zones of Regulation sessions, developing language and understanding around this.

Maths focuses on understanding number, using physical manipulatives and developing number sense.

Behaviour is supported using positive reinforcement, understanding the function of behaviour, with an emphasis of replacing inappropriate behaviour with language and socially appropriate conduct. 

To support the children’s social and physical development, they follow a personalised timetable including ‘free-flow’ time, Forest Schools, food exploration, bikes, gymnastics and soft play.

Chestnut Group:

Chestnut group are children that are working at a pre-formal level. Their curriculum is guided by the Early Years framework, and personalised to meet their individual needs. A lot of work is done on supporting independence in personal care, and based around sensory work and encouraging interaction with peers and different adults in the school. 

To support with this, children take part in a range of attention sessions throughout the week in our Chestnut Snug. Children also access our EYFS setting at lunchtimes or during free-flow to ensure they have interaction with a range of peers.